Rest in the 7th Day
Introduction to series:
What would you say to an offer which came from your boss in which he said, “Mike once a week you have to take a day off – it’s mandatory – no excuses! It's a guilt free day!" "You have to rest from work!"
Could you imagine a day were you do not have to work, do household chores, no to do lists, no being on call, a day to hang out and just relax, a day to spend with family and friends, A day to go boating or doing an outdoor adventure, or a day to help out another person? And here is the best part- you get to do all of this guilt free! Does it sound too good to be true? Some of you are thinking “I am in!” but who is going to talk to my boss – my spouse – my employer?
How about God? He has addressed this subject very clearly in the Bible!
You may be thinking -This sounds like something the rich and famous get to do, the celebrities or the wealthy but for everyone – for all people – all workers - of all ages and even animals? This is really God’s idea?
Yes, this is what God prescribed and ordered for the human race – he basically said, "I created you and everything in this world. You have to follow my example and take the 7th day off." Yes, God wants you on the 7th day to rest – This really means rest-relax but it also means to take some of that time on this day to worship and honor him. He wants you to take time to focus on Him, to lay back into His arms and relax in His presence. To spend time with Him!
The word - Sabbath - rest means more than the obvious. The Hebrew definition from hebrewscholar.com is:
Shabbat
The word Sabbath – Hebrew ‘Shabbat” literally means rest, or interruption, cessation, desist. The interesting thing about the word is that using the Pictograph addition method you get an interesting picture. First of all, the letter Shin, which means teeth has a point on the upper right hand corner a Chowlem. This point means the opposite, or the emphasis of the letter is opposite what it stands for. The second letter, used in the Sabbath commandment and in law commentaries in the Bible, has an internal point. The emphasis here is intimate, or deeply internal to the letter.
The three letters added together are as follows:
• Shin (Chowlem) = Stop Chewing, stop processing
• Beth (Shurwreq ) = House internal
• Tav = Covenant
The picture is of cessation of work, inside the house, however, it has a covenant attatched to it. This covenant envelopes or brings further meaning to the cessation of activity. It points toward purpose, that is why the Beth is internally pointed.
The Sabbath does mean rest, but it is far from being just cessation of work. It means that the cessation of work has a picture to it; it points to a rest spoken of in the Law, or the covenant.
Our Scripture for this series addresses this spiritual phenomena - Isa. 40:29-31:
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope (rest) in the Lord will renew their strength. They soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
God from the beginning of time mandated/demonstrated that we all must rest and honor Him on the 7th day. We have to do both to get energized!
Thesis of Sermon: “To honor the Sabbath and to keep it holy means to rest and worship the Lord. It is designed by God to re-energize you each week by Worship, His presence, His Words and His power.”
Scripture Text:
Genesis 2:2-3: 2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Exodus 20:8-11: 8“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
T.S. - Let's dig deeper into our topic today about the 7th Day and resting in the Lord.
I. What is a Sabbath?
A. The Hebrew word for "Sabbath" means to "cease".
1. God instructed us at Creation, through the (Law) the Ten Commanments and throughout the Bible to take a day to cease work - cease the busyness of life - to rest - to stop and focus on God: To remember His blessings and His provision - His holiness - it's to be a time to give reverence and thanks to the Lord.
2. You may be thinking, "What does it means to reverence the Lord?" I believe- Its one of the missing keys to revival in the church today.
a. REVERENCE: Respect or honor paid to a worthy object. In Scripture, reverence is paid: to father and mother (Lev. 19:3; Heb. 12:9); to God (1 Kings 18:3, 12; Heb. 12:28); to God’s sanctuary (Lev. 19:30; 26:2); and to God’s commandments (Ps. 119:48). The failure to revere God (Deut. 32:51) and the act of revering other gods (Judg. 6:10) have dire consequences. Reverence for Christ is expressed in mutual submission within the Christian community (Eph. 5:21). Christian persecution takes on new meaning as suffering becomes an opportunity for revering Christ (1 Pet. 3:14-15) (From Holman Bible Dictionary).
b. Reverence is profound respect and love. A reverent attitude toward God includes honoring Him, expressing gratitude to Him, and obeying His commandments.
c. As people of God show reverence for God, they also show reverence and gratitude for His blessings, His commandments, His prophets, His Church, His ordinances, His priesthood, and His plan for His children.
d. A reverent attitude includes self-respect and personal purity. It leads to proper worship and right conduct.
e. Reverence will bring you closer to the Lord and in that process re-energize you for life and for divine purpose.
3. There are two primary points to honoring the Sabbath.
a. We are to rest from our labors - our work (Exodus 20:11)
b. We are to refocus our attention on His Creation, His salvation, His presence, and His holiness (Ezekiel 20:12).
B. The Sabbath is holy and declared so by God, so what is holiness?
1. The basic definition of holiness is “being set apart.”
2. Holiness is the condition of being set apart, being removed from all that is sinful or worldly. This is what we are to do on the Sabbath. We are to remove ourselves from worldly deeds and focus on spiritual things.
a. Every Sabbath we are to immerse ourselves into the spiritual dimension of God.
3. JI Packer puts it, “Holiness means not only desiring God, but also loving and practicing righteousness, out of a constant exercise of conscience to discern right from wrong and an ardent purpose of doing all that one can to please God.”
4. Hebrews 12:24 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” note phrase: "Without holiness no one will see the Lord!"
5. Holiness is a gift from Jesus and the Bible especially the New Testament was given to us to teach us how to hang on to this gift from God - maturing in our faith is connected with honoring the Lord on the Sabbath day!
a. Spiritual growth is linked with how we honor or handle the Sabbath each week.
6. Have you ever wondered why some people never spiritually grow in the Lord? It's sometimes connected with their inconsistency of honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy.
T.S. - We are to cease work on the Sabbath and allow it to be holy in our lives. We have to realize that the Sabbath is very important and God did not make it optional.
II. Why is resting in the "Sabbath" so important?
A. The orginal intent of the Sabbath was to refocus us on God on who He is and what He has blessed us with.
1. It’s a day to press the reset button on the meaning of life, on the purpose in life, and on a proper vision for life.
2. It’s a day which reminds us of God's sovereignty - His supremacy over the earth and all that is in it.
3. It reminds us to place our trust and faith in Him and not in our human effort.
4. It’s a day to pursue holiness and reconnect with the Lord.
B. I look at our society and American culture and see all the people stressed out. We hear of the high rate of people dying from heart attacks and I wonder if not taking a day of rest is part of the problem?
1. Our society boasts of all the time saving devices we have invented but we have less time than ever and from what I see more stress.
2. Our culture seems to be running wildly somewhere but no one knows were they are going. They are in a hurry to go no where!
3. We rush from stop light to stop light. We rush through meals. We run from train to train. We rush through the day. We rush and run and wear ourselves out for what?
C. The day of rest and worship was designed by God - the Creator - to help us rest but not too rest from Him! The truth is He is the one that renews our strength - it about being plugged into Him and receiving that life sustaining energy for life.
1. We are to rest in Him - in His presence - in His arms. This time should be a recharging time a time of rebooting our minds and heart to Him.
2. You could ask the question: "Is skipping church on Sunday for rest - Biblical?" No, it’s not -- but I hear this excuse from many people, “I am too busy to go to church! It's my day to unwind each week and church is not in my day of rest.”
3. Taking a day of rest in the Lord is our responsibility and it’s directly related to our personal time management and our commitment to the Lord.
4. James 2:26: "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
5. Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
4. Thoughts on time management. 3 Bible Tips: Godly Priorities/Time Management from http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-tips/godly-priorities-time-management.htm
a. Recognize the urgency of the times to avoid selfish and sinful use of time. "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:11-14).
b. Make careful and wise choices about our most limited resource—time."See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16).
c. Putting God first—including focusing on His Kingdom and His laws."But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
T.S. - When we learn to rest in the Sabbath - God's way - we get re-energized by the Holy Spirit. We discover why God made it mandatory it’s to help us press the reset button in our lives each week. Warning - But we have to guard our hearts from abusing, redefining, or misusing the proper intent of the Sabbath.
III. The Sabbath has been misrepresented and misunderstood.
A. Jesus set out in His earthly ministry to correct these problems with the Sabbath.
1. Matthew 12:1-14: 1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
2. Jesus let everyone know that the Sabbath was created for everyone and He was the Lord over it. It was about Him and God's desire to minister to people - to meet their needs - to heal - to let His people know that He cares for people's needs.
3. Jesus also made it clear to the religious rulers that the Sabbath was not about rules and regulations but it's about our heart connecting with God's heart.
B. Jesus set in motion what the Sabbath was for and that it needed to be honored rightly and correctly.
1. The Sabbath is established and reinforced by Jesus, the apostles, converted Christians Jews and Gentiles.
2. Apostles honored it and taught converts to obey it and honor God on it.
a. Acts 17:2: 2As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
b. Acts 13:13-14: 13From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.
c. Acts 16:13: 13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
d. Acts 18:4: 4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
3. Gentiles also honored the Sabbath and it was even mandated that they do this in Isa.:
a. Isa. 56:2, 6, 7: 2 Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” …”6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant” …7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
b. Acts 13:42, 44: “42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath…44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.”
c. Acts 18:4: “4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
4. The Apostles - the Jewish converts - the Gentile converts all honored - obeyed the Ten Commandments and worshipped God on the Sabbath.
a. God has not changed His mind about the Sabbath Commandment. It’s still on His priority list for you today -wether this society or country honors it or not!
5. The big question: "Should we worship on Saturday or Sunday? Is one day better than another?"
a. Come out Wednesday night and find out why some people choose one day over another!
a. But for a quick answer we need to read Romans 14:5-9: “5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living."
b. God started the Sabbath -He created it, Jesus re-defined it when men distorted it, and we are to still celebrate this Day today!
c. Our topic today is about taking that Day and doing it - are you taking a Sabbath Day each week?
Conclusion:
Story: The story of Eric Liddell from Chariots of Fire!
The story of British runner Eric Liddell through the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire. As the movie tells it, Liddell was boarding a boat to the 1924 Paris Olympics when he discovered that the qualifying heats for his event, the 100-metre sprint, were scheduled for a Sunday. A devout Christian, he refused to run on the Sabbath and was at the last minute switched to the 400 metres…Liddell had known the schedule for months and had decided not to compete in the 100 metres, the 4 × 100-metre relay, or the 4 × 400-metre relay because they all required running on a Sunday. The press roundly criticized the Scotsman and called his decision unpatriotic, but Liddell devoted his training to the 200 metres and the 400 metres, races that would not require him to break the Sabbath. He won a bronze medal in the 200 and won the 400 in a world-record time. Liddell ignored the media’s subsequent hero worship and soon returned to China, where he had been born, to continue his family’s missionary work. He died there in 1945 in a Japanese internment camp (From http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1117726/Harold-Abrahams-and-Eric-Liddell-Chariots-of-Fire).
Today is the first day of the month and we are going to celebrate Communion and how this ties into honoring the Sabbath and resting in the Lord.
Hebrews 10:19-39:
19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.
33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.
34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
37For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.
38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Altar time: Worship – before we partake of Communion – lay back into the arms of the Lord and rest and allow Him to reenergize you before we partake.
